NERC Says 700,000 Electricity Meters Available, Tells DisCos to Speed Up Distribution

• The NERC has said that between 600,000 to 700,000 electricity meters are currently available for deployment nationwide, urging DisCos to fast-track distribution and improve communication with customers
• The NERC Vice Chairman called on electricity operators to cooperate with new State Electricity Regulatory Commissions as states assume more oversight
• Recent data analysed by the commission shows that metering plays a significant role in the repayment behaviour of electricity users

Oluwatobi Odeyinka is a business editor at Legit.ng, covering energy, the money market, tech and macroeconomic trends in Nigeria.

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has said there are between 600,000 and 700,000 electricity meters available in the country and should be rolled out to customers without delay.

This was disclosed by the vice chairman of the commission, Musiliu Oseni, according to a post on the NERC official X handle on Tuesday.

Oseni, while speaking at the 4th NESI Stakeholders meeting in Abuja, noted that the federal government has already invested in making the meters accessible, and it is now the responsibility of electricity distribution companies (DisCos) to ensure they are promptly delivered to consumers.

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Oseni also urged the DisCos to improve their communication with the public, stressing that customers need clear information on ongoing metering efforts.

NERC urges DisCos’ cooperation with state regulators

The vice chairman further addressed the sector’s transition to State Electricity Regulatory Commissions, advising DisCos to fully cooperate with emerging state-level regulators.

According to him, regulatory oversight remains central to the sector’s governance.

He said no licensee is bigger than their regulator, hence operators must align with the new regulatory structure as states assume more authority in the electricity market.

Oseni also clarified misconceptions about the tenure of NERC commissioners.

He explained that while the “staggering principle” in Section 36 of the Electricity Act was meant for the pioneer commission under the former EPSRA, current commissioners, including chairmen, serve fixed five-year terms as stated in Section 36(1) of the Act.

The meeting was Oseni’s final appearance at the NESI stakeholders’ forum in his role as Vice Chairman.

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In July, giving an update on its metering initiative, the government said another 187,194 Nigerian households have gotten prepaid meters installed for them in the first quarter of 2025.

DisCos collect N565bn in bills from customers

Legit.ng earlier reported that metering plays a significant role in customers' repayment behaviour, according to data analysed by NERC.

According to the data, locations with higher metering spread reported stronger repayment rates because customers perceive the billing system as more transparent and aligned with actual consumption. Whereas, households and businesses that heavily rely on estimated billing recorded low payments.

Leading DisCos with high collection efficiency rates are Eko, with N106 billion collected from N120 billion billed; Ikeja, which recorded N105 billion in revenue out of N127 billion billed; and Abuja, with N89 billion collected from the N116 billion it billed.

Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company posted the greatest quarter-on-quarter improvement, raising its collection efficiency to 70%, an increase of 9.77% from the previous quarter.

Source: Legit.ng